Mark Kirk to return to Senate Jan. 3

12/6/12 5:54 PM EST

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) – who has been absent from the Senate for most of 2012 as he recovered from a stroke – is set to return to Capitol Hill on Jan. 3, 2013.

Kirk had previously said on a televised interview last month – his first since the stroke – that he wanted to come back in January. The senator’s office on Thursday further specified the date of Kirk’s return.

“He’s on track to [return] on the 3rd for when the Senate convenes,” a Kirk spokesperson said.

Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) told the Chicago Tribune that there were plans to hold a “big party and celebration” upon Kirk’s return. An anonymous Senate official also told the publication that Kirk, who has undergone intensive physical therapy, plans to walk up the Capitol steps to mark his return.

“I’m just really excited,” Hultgren said, according to the Tribune. “I’m so grateful for the recovery he’s been able to make.”

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, Kirk’s home-state colleague, told reporters on Capitol Hill that he had been notified of a different return date for the senator, but added that he hoped Kirk would come back to work “soon.”

“Believe me, there will be a great welcoming reception” once Kirk returns, Durbin said.

Kirk has been regularly communicating with the public on the status of his recovery through video statements, and said in the Nov. 4 interview with NBC 5 in Chicago, walked up the steps of 37 floors in a stair-climbing challenge to help demonstrate how much he has recovered. The stroke has limited his mobility on his left side, and Kirk now uses a cane to help him walk.

“I hope this gives a message to people across Illinois who may face stroke,” Kirk said at the time.